Mirror Reflection
by justalongthemirroroferised
Summary: What would happen if Jace and Clary took each other's place? AU where they have completely switched lives. Includes the main cast of the story and somewhat follows the original storyline. First fan fiction, I promise I write better than I summarize. Please read and review! I don't own the story or the characters, just being creative.
1. Chapter 1

_There were colors. So many swirling colors that he felt sick. in his hands he held a sword, and he realized he was kneeling. he tried to stand, but his body suddenly was made of lead and all he could do was lift his head. He was staring into the sun, the light burning his eyes and boiling his blood. No, it wasn't the sun, it was a man! No, it couldn't be, it was too terrifying, too powerful. He could swear he saw a pair of colossal wings, covered in eyes. so many eyes! He was frightened, he tried to run-_

_"_Jace, wake up you sorry bastard." A finger poked him repeatedly until he let out a sound of annoyance. "Rise and shine, we have things to do and uncultured people to hate."

Jace Wayland rolled over and blearily opened one eye. There, mere inches from his face was a pair of eyes, magnified by glasses. He let out a shriek and fell off the bed.

"Simon, one of these days I'm going to die from fright and it's going to be your fault," he sputtered, his face wedged between the bedside table and the bed frame.

He dragged himself back up into a sitting position and glared at his best friend. He mimed taking his pulse. "Oh look, my blood pressure is dangerously high. I could have a stroke."

Simon grinned. "I'll take my chances."

He relished the sight of his best friend looking so rumpled, with a pillow imprint in his cheek. Jace shook his head, trying to clear his grogginess away. _Was I dreaming? _

Jace groaned. "It's too early. What ungodly hour is it anyway?"

Simon stood up, and crossed to the window. Flinging it open, he took a deep breath of Brooklyn air. "It's noon. Oh by the way, Erik and his girlfriend broke up."

"Oh you've got to be kidding me." Jace moaned.

"I'm getting out of here before he shows up on either of our doorsteps." Simon declared. "And you should quit complaining and thank me for getting you out in time."

Jace shot out of bed and dashed to his dresser. "You've convinced me. How much time do we have?"

Simon glanced at his watch. "Not enough, he could be here any second."

"How long did this one last?" Jace jammed a shirt over his head and hopped around, frantically trying to get his jeans on while simultaneously stuffing socks on his feet.

"Three months." Simon replied, annoyed.

"Has it really been that long? Let me guess, he's having an impromptu poetry slam tonight at seven."

"Most likely."

Jace spun around, throwing clothes every which way."Great, that's exactly how I wanted to spend my Saturday. We could go clubbing instead, there's this club downtown-"

"Fine. Let's make a deal." Simon interrupted. "If you sit through two agonizing hours of crap poetry, I'll go with you."

Jace, who was now digging around under the bed, looked up and smirked. "Okay fine, but if there's anything about his nefarious loins again I'm leaving."

"Deal."

"Swear on your o-negative, pessimistic blood that you won't back out on me."

Simon rolled his eyes. "Fine. Now hurry up, I'm not climbing down the pipes like last time."

**_Clary:_**

Clary Fray flipped through the pages of her book, looking for her page. She settled into an armchair, and began to read. There was movement in the doorway, but already knowing who it was she didn't look up.

"Alec, I'm fully aware of how I look in this sweater, but it doesn't mean I want you staring at me." She drawled. Alec closed the door to the library and made his way through the displays towards her.

"Sorry, I got distracted by something." He said hurriedly.

"I know you did, that shrunken head Hodge just stuck in the display is stunning."

Alec sat in the chair opposite her, fiddling with his fingers. "I need to talk to you about something."

Clary crossed her legs, marked her page and set the book aside. "You look like someone died."

"Not quite. I'm talking about the opposite of dying." Alec said uneasily. "Do you think there's a chance that the dead could, come back?"

Clary raised an eyebrow. "Have you been watching Mundie movies?"

"No, of course not. Something a demon said last night has really been bothering me." He muttered, raking a hand through his hair. "Clary, Valentine isn't a name that's dropped lightly."

Clary's eyebrows furrowed. "They'll say anything when they're about to die. I'd recite Kent, and you know I think he's atrocious."

He nodded, his eyes dark with concern. "Yeah, but this is new. I don't think we should go out tonight. If the demons are working with Valentine then it's not safe for any of us."

Clary smirked. "When has it ever been safe? I'm an endangered species."

"Clary, I'm serious. I think we should contact the Clave, let them know what's going on." He insisted, his fingers drumming nervously on his thighs.

"He's dead. Stop worrying." She stood up, and skirted her way around her chair. "If you want to be probed by Silent Brothers and questioned, go right ahead."

Alec stared after her as she left the room, his heart hammering with anxiety. He let his head fall into his hands, his thoughts whirling with doubt. He chewed on his lip as he thought.

He stood up, and scanned the rows of leather-bound books until he found what he was looking for. "_Led by a man called Valentine Morgenstern, the Circle was a group of rebel Shadowhunters who plotted to destroy the Clave..."_

**_Jace:_**

Jace dashed down the stairs, followed closely by Simon. They skidded into the kitchen and Simon craned his neck to look out the tiny window that revealed the street below as Jace threw open the fridge. "Grab something and let's get out of here."

"Hold on a sec, I have to get creative."

"Erik could be walking up the stairs right now and you're worried about a lack of food?" Simon shook his head, exasperated.

"Food is very important. I might starve to death." Jace mumbled, his mouth full.

"You're really at a high risk of dying aren't you? First a stroke and now hunger."

"Now you understand my concern."

"Dare I ask why you're hiding under the window, Simon?" Jocelyn Wayland tucked a tendril of auburn hair behind her ears and leaned on the door frame as she surveyed them. Jace yelped in surprise and hit his head on the top of the fridge.

"Hi Mrs. Wayland. I'm avoiding being seen, hence the hunchback impression." He replied, grinning at Jace who was staring at him with eyes watering from pain.

"Mom! I was just getting food, you know me being a strong man who needs fuel and all." Jace grimaced, and rubbed at his forehead. "Would it kill you to cough or something?"

Simon had to bite his lip to keep from laughing.

Jocelyn shrugged. "I thought Simon would at least notice me."

She opened a cupboard and took out the kettle. "Jace, are you in a hurry? There's something I wanted to talk to you about." Her voice was suddenly serious, her lilting accent more pronounced than usual.

Jace was now rummaging in the freezer. "Yes, I am actually. I'm looking for a job as we speak. I'll pay for my own art supplies from now on, I promise."

"Simon, would you give us a moment?" She asked him apologetically. He nodded, and did his best not to slink out of the kitchen.

Once he was out of earshot, Jocelyn turned to her son. "Jace, it's lovely that you're looking for a job. Really it is, but that's not what I wanted to talk about."

Jace leaned back on the counter, an ice pack pressed firmly to his head. "Okay. So what is it?"

"I want to talk to you about your family."

"Mom, you really need to stop being so mysterious. That's my job."

Jocelyn sighed. "I hope you understand that this is difficult for me, I haven't told you anything."

Jace shrugged. "Yeah I guess you haven't, why didn't you tell me before?"

She shook her head. "It was never the right time, and now that you're older-"

There was a sudden knock at the door.

Jocelyn stiffened, and putting a finger to her lips, she crept soundlessly over to the peephole. She sighed with relief and opened the door to reveal a tall, bearded man carrying several paper bags. Luke Garroway stepped through the door and pecked her on the cheek. "I hope I got here in time for lunch." He rumbled.

Jocelyn smiled thinly. "Jace just finished emptying the fridge, so you've arrived just in time."

Seeing a flash of movement, Jace glanced out the window and spotted Erik weaving his way down the street. "Simon, I think we should leave. Now."

Simon, who was of course eavesdropping from the other room darted to the window. "Okay, this is bad. The pipes are looking pretty good right about now."

"Right behind you." Jace sidestepped Simon, clapped Luke on the back and kissed his mother on the cheek. "I'm off, lovely chatting with you, don't wait up!" He called over his shoulder as he and Simon took the stairs three at a time.

"Wait, Jace! I'm not quite finished!" Jocelyn called after him.

"We can talk later! I'm shimmying down the drain pipes, and when Erik shows up tell him to have a poetry slam, I want to have some fun later!" He yelled, closely following Simon down the hall.

"What? Jace, this is important-"

"Tell me later!" Jace shut the door to his room and turned to see a tuft of brown hair under his window.

He peeked over the edge to see Simon hanging there, looking resigned. "I'm afraid of heights. This is why I didn't want to slide down two stories to my death." He grumbled, eyes fixed on the window frame.

Jace laughed and vaulted over the sill. As he and Simon made their way down the side of the building, they heard the doorbell ring.

"Run!" Jace jumped the last six feet and landed heavily as Simon slid the rest of the way down. They took off down the side alley, laughing hysterically.

"You up for a coffee?" Simon huffed, his hands shaking.

"Yep."

_**Clary:**_

Clary made her way across the rafters, stepping lightly on the slim pieces of wood. Taking a deep breath, she leaped across the ten-foot gap to the next beam. Landing the jump, she placed her hands on opposite sides of the plank and lifted herself into a handstand. Sweating with exertion, she carefully placed one hand in front of the other and slowly maneuvered her way along. Bored with aerial balance exercises, she threw herself off the rafter and deftly flipped herself around. She landed and rolled into a crouch.

Rising up, and stretching her leg up as far as it would go, she spun herself into a perfect roundhouse kick. Regaining her footing, she bent herself backwards and straightened her legs upwards. Panting with effort, she pushed herself into the air with her arms and landed on one foot.

"_Valentine! I know where he is! I can tell you where he's hiding-" _She shook her head, annoyed with herself.

She dragged targets into the middle of the room and palmed a dagger. Taking a deep breath, she threw with all her might. It struck the middle of the target, quivering. She grinned. This was more like it. Jogging over to the weapons wall, she collected a dozen knives. It was time to test her new agility rune.

_**Jace:**_

Jace yawned and threw his change into the tip jar. Collecting two large coffees, he made his way to where Simon was sprawled in a chair, his face hidden behind a newspaper. He deposited the coffee and flung himself into the chair opposite Simon.

His face peeking out from behind the paper, Simon raised an eyebrow at Jace's expression. "Don't look at me like that, it's camouflage. Is that black?"

"Comrade, you wound me. I know how you like your filthy water. You look ridiculous. It's upside down by the way." Jace snickered.

"No, I look intelligent and literate. You look like a dead man walking." Simon replied, taking a huge gulp of coffee and flipped the paper to the right side.

"I was up late. I was feeling creative and got carried away."

Simon folded the paper and set it aside, having already scanned the cafe and the street beyond for Erik. "You finish anything?"

Jace shook his head and brushed a curl off his forehead. "I can't get it right. I've been having these really weird dreams and I'm trying to paint something I keep seeing. But I can't remember exactly what it looks like."

Simon wrinkled his nose. "Please tell me it's not the kind of dream I'm thinking."

Jace laughed and took a sip of coffee. "No, nothing like that. You shock me Lewis, you vulgar cad."

Simon smirked. "I know you better than most, it was a pretty good guess."

"Oh course it was, I'd be offended if you didn't at least consider it."

Simon shook his head. "How did I get stuck with you as my best friend again?"

Jace pursed his lips. "Match made in heaven? I seem to remember a certain someone didn't have anyone to play Ninja Turtles with."

Simon groaned and downed his drink. "We don't talk about those days, I'll start having war flashbacks. You want a refill?" He brandished his coffee cup.

"Do I ever. Do yourself a favor and wink at the barista, you're looking particularly bookish today."

Grumbling, Simon stepped up to the counter. Jace was right, he thought grudgingly, the girl working behind the counter was cute.

"Two large coffees please." He said, putting on what he hoped was an attractive expression.

She didn't even glance at him. He sighed and turned around just in time to see Jace flailing his arms and mouthing something incomprehensible at him. He squinted and got the message just in time to see Erik fling the door open. _Oh shit._

_"Simon!_ My best buddy!" Erik practically screamed across the cafe. Simon wanted to crawl away and die in a dark corner, he was so embarrassed.

Erik shoved his face into Simon's shoulder and began to sob. "Tracey dumped me, she was supposed to be the love of my life!"

As he blubbered, Simon could feel Erik's tears soaking into his shirt.

"That's um, rough." He said awkwardly, patting Erik on the back and trying to slowly edge out of the splash zone. He glanced at Jace, who was doubled over in silent laughter. Simon flipped him off and peeled his crying friend away from his shirt.

"Tell you what, tonight you should recite some poetry or something. Get your mind off her?"

Erik sniffed, his eyes still watering. "That's a great idea. I don't know why I didn't think of that. Thanks buddy."

"Don't mention it." Simon said, relieved the crying was over with.

He wiped his nose and glanced around the cafe, oblivious to the customers staring at him. "I should find the manager, thanks again Simon."

"Yeah, I mean it. Don't mention it."

Jace was giving Simon a thumbs up from his chair by the window, and Simon glared at him.

"Two coffees, that's three fifty." The barista piped up, stifling a smile.

_**Clary:**_

Clary threw her torso back as she vaulted over the training room balance beam. Clearing the bar, she landed with one leg splayed for balance and a wickedly sharp blade whistling through the air towards her target. Her aim was true, and she smirked as the sheer strength of her throw embedded it in the wood; all the way to the hilt. Rising from her crouch, she shook her curly red hair out of her eyes. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she whistled tunelessly as she retrieved her knife. Deep within the institute a bell tolled once, twice, nine times. Time to go hunting. Clary grinned, sheathed the blade at her hip and made her way through the training room towards the doors.

As she walked through the halls of the church, she pulled out her stele. She meticulously carved runes into her skin, and she relished the burn. This was her strength, this was what made her powerful. She hissed in pain, the whisper lost in the sound of the stele marking her. Stopping in her room to strap on her gear, she realized her heart rate hadn't decreased and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. "_Clary, Valentine, isn't a name you drop lightly." _

Surveying the room and finding she was the only one in it; she shivered, although she wasn't cold in the slightest.

Nestled between her shoulder blades, surrounded by the black, curling marks of the Shadowhunters lay a weight that she couldn't shake. Ever since Alec mentioned the name. An itch that even with her flexibility she couldn't scratch. Soundlessly, she stalked down towards the heart of the institute. She had to do something before she went mad. Flinging open the door to the kitchen, she wasn't surprised to hear Alec and Isabelle arguing.

"I want to go hunting." Isabelle griped, polishing a dagger. "I haven't killed anything in days, and I have nothing better to do."

"We went out last night, and I don't think it's a good idea, if the demons are working with Valentine we need to be careful. " Alec snapped as he threw a cleaning cloth at her. "That cloth is dirty, you're getting ichor and grease all over my dagger!"

"Take it back then!" Isabelle glared at Alec and faster than mundane eyes could see, she whipped the dagger towards him, narrowly missing his face as his reflexes kicked in. With the dagger tip inches from his throat, she threw the cloth down. "Stop trying to be so perfect!"

Alec glared at her. "At least I follow the rules! The Law is Hard, but-"

"Yeah I know, it is the Law! You need to stop quoting things you don't even understand!" She snapped.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He demanded.

"You know what I'm talking about, you've never even killed a demon! At least I'm doing my duty." She hissed angrily.

He stared at her in shock before his eyes narrowed and he growled, "At least I'm not the one who can't keep my legs shu-"

Clary darted over to her _parabatai, _snatched the dagger from his hand and planted it tip down, in the counter between his fingers. "I'm going hunting, either you two shut up and come with me, or I'm going to clean up the streets of Manhattan myself."

Alec stared at her, his anger dissipating. "I- what about earlier?"

Clary yanked the knife out of the granite and shoved it into her belt. "You talked about staying here tonight, I ignored you. I want to go out."

Isabelle slid off her stool and sauntered over. "See, I knew at least Clary would see sense. I'm going to get my gear, so don't you dare leave without me." She plucked the knife from Clary's belt and left the room.

Clary watched her leave, then turned to her partner with her eyebrow raised. "Don't tell me you've lost your inherited determination to slaughter and maim as many demons as possible just because you haven't done it yet."

"Clary, I don't think we should go hunting tonight." He insisted, his brow furrowing.

"There's something you're not telling me. This isn't about demon ramblings again, is it?"

Alec wouldn't look at her as his fingers traced the new gash in the counter top. "It isn't that, I have a bad feeling about it, like something is going to happen. It's been like this all day, and I can't shake it."

She kneaded her shoulder, wincing as she pressed into her fresh marks. "I need to get out, this place is driving me insane, and I'm leaving so either you stay here by yourself or you come along."

Alec sighed. "Fine, I'll come."

Clary smirked. "That sounds more like it, I'll even let you kill the first one because I'm feeling generous." She brushed an imaginary piece of dust off her gear.

"Oh how kind of you." Alec muttered. "But if something happens, I told you so."

Clary was already halfway out the door. "You really mustn't mumble Darling, it's very unbecoming. Now hurry up."

_**Jace:**_

Jace groaned and slid off of the hard metal stool. Yawning, he stretched and rolled his eyes at his best friend. "I think he's getting worse with age, how many of these poetry readings are you going to make me suffer through?"

Simon downed his coffee and winced, "I have no idea, every time he gets dumped? You know the drill."

Jace chuckled. "Right, so should I nod and smile and tell him he's the next poet laureate?"

Simon shook his head, "Yeah but if you say it like that you have to cry. I'd do it myself but I'm a terrible liar."

"Well then maybe we should just ditch before he comes over here and just go to that club I was telling you about."

Simon wrinkled his nose. "Can we not? I'd rather not be your wingman as you try and pick up chicks."

Jace threw his arm over Simon's shoulders. "Simon, I do not _try_ to pick up chicks, they flock to me. And you practically swore a blood oath, you're coming with me. Lose the glasses and try not to look like you're too cool for the rest of us."

Simon threw him off and tried to glower, failing miserably. "Fine, but if you leave me all by myself like you did last time I'm leaving and I will refuse to speak to you."

Jace grinned, and flicked his hair out of his eyes. "This is going to be awesome, and we are going to get you laid, just leave it to your very attractive best friend."

Simon groaned. "Can we not treat my lack of sexual experience like it's a bad thing?"

Jace, who was already walking down the street, shouted back. "Lewis, there is a whole world that you have never seen right in front of your bespectacled eyes. Time to live a little!"

Simon broke into a stumbling run, trying to catch up. "Give me a break." He grumbled. He was out of breath already, this was going to be a long night.

_**Clary:**_

Clary stalked out of the institute, flanked by the Lightwoods. Eyes darting back and forth over the deserted street, she absentmindedly ran her thumb over the hilt of a seraph blade. "Let's go, I have an Absoth demon I've been meaning to get rid of."

"That's great Clary, but if you're going to drag me through mud and halfway across Brooklyn I think we should track something else." Alec said mulishly.

"Oh shut up Alec." Isabelle snapped. "I'd rather go to that club on eighty fifth. They've got all the weird mundanes. It's like catnip for demons."

Clary glanced behind her as the glamour on the institute faded into place to reveal a mess of decrepit ruins and weeds. "Izzy, you know where you're going. I'm right behind you."

Isabelle smirked, and tossed her dark hair as she walked ahead of Clary, her black dress flowing around her calves. "Tonight's going to be fun."

Alec stuffed his hands in his pockets and glowered. "Let's just get this over with."

Clary rolled her shoulders and broke into a run. The wind flowed through her fiery hair and burned her lungs. Her leather-wrapped calves pounded the ground in a steady rhythm as the streets melted away under her feet. Twin staccato bursts of sound on either side of her marked the path of the Lightwoods. She almost laughed out loud, she felt so alive.

_**Simon:**_

Simon was breathing hard as he finally caught up to his best friend. He felt like he was dying.

Jace was staring across the street, longingly at the nightclub Pandemonium. "There it is, Simon my comrade, _please_ tell me I look old enough to be walking into a fine establishment like that one."

Simon wrinkled his nose. "Pandemonium? It's where all the freaks go. We could go back to my house instead, I have that new Assassins Creed game and-"

"Lewis, all I'm hearing are lame excuses against having some fun. Now answer my question: do I look like I could walk in and not make a fuss?" Jace interrupted.

Simon stared at him for a moment. Six feet with curling blond hair, he was attractive he supposed and given that Jace knew full well what he looked like, he nodded.

Rolling his eyes, and full of exasperation, he said, "But you're going to be way under-dressed. Whoa, check out that guy!" Simon's eyes widened as he noticed a tall man with eyes tattooed all over his skin and dermal implants that looked like horns enter the club. He was followed by a slim, exotic looking man with dark hair and cat-eye contacts. Simon was impressed, despite himself.

Jace smirked at him and tousled his blond hair, trying to recreate what Simon thought was a deliberate rumpled look. "Oh please, that's only because my shirt is still on."

Simon glanced over, and adjusted his glasses. "I don't get why you want to go in there so badly, we've already been to most of the clubs around here and they were just fine."

"Yeah but maybe I don't want to be noticed this time." Simon was caught by surprise as Jace's tone changed. Turning around, he looked at his friend, waiting patiently for his explanation.

"You don't really get it, you being average-looking and all..." Jace muttered.

"Oh thanks pal, that really means a lot." Simon remarked sarcastically, feeling annoyed.

"My eyes. I hate that everyone stares at them. In there I won't be weird." Jace admitted. "They'll just think I have contacts."

Simon was incredulous. "That's why you're so obsessed? You should've just said something."

"And risk you making fun of me? Never, and besides you might find some girls in there who like bulbous eyes."

Simon's mouth fell open and his so called bulbous eyes widened. "I don't have bulbous eyes!" He sputtered.

"Yes you do." Jace grinned at him.

"I'm short sighted! and these glasses are quite stylish and very expensive, I will have you know."

"Quit stalling, time is a wasting." Jace practically skipped across the street, and joined the line forming at the door.

Simon sighed, sucked up his pride and followed.

_**Clary:**_

Clary stopped running, and shook her hair out of her eyes, taking a deep breath and cracked her neck.

Isabelle grinned wolfishly. "Let's go, I can practically smell them from here."

Alec rolled his eyes. Clary smirked and edged around the side of the building. Eyeing the lineup, she gauged her surroundings.

"They might be a bit harder to find than you think, Izzy." Alec breathed, slightly horrified. The amount of body modification that these mundanes had put themselves through was fascinating. Clary barely gave them a second glance.

"No they definitely won't be." Isabelle lifted her necklace with one finger. It was pulsing frantically.

"No, they really aren't." Clary lifted a finger. "There's one. Green eyes, male, dark jacket."

Isabelle wound her electrum whip around her wrist like a bracelet. "Easy. Lure him away and snuff him. Got it."

"It's showtime. Let's go."

They skirted their way past the queue and as the bouncer's eyes flicked past them, they slipped under the rope and into the pulsating club beyond. Clary could see the demon weaving his way through the crowd. Isabelle pushed her way through the crowd as Clary and Alec flanked either side of the room._ Gotcha. _

_**Jace:**_

Simon swayed awkwardly to the pulsating music as he tried in vain not to touch anyone around him. Jace was jumping up and down excitedly.

"Simon, this is awesome! Stop dancing like your feet are glued down!" He yelled, barely able to hear his own voice. Simon grimaced and wiggled his arms a bit.

"Jace, you want a drink?" He screamed in Jace's ear.

Jace nodded. "Damn right I do!" He screamed back. Simon squeezed his way through the crowd, relieved to have some breathing room.

Jace scanned the crowd, taking in all of the different people around him. He spotted a guy who had been ahead of him in line. He made eye contact unintentionally and the guy's absurdly green eyes widened, then he started to make his way towards Jace.

"Hey man, cool contacts!" Jace screamed at the newcomer as he came closer.

"Move." The guy said, shoving him aside. Jace stared at him, then shrugged and glanced in the direction he was heading in.

She was beautiful he supposed. With long dark hair and eyes, she cut a striking figure in the crowd. Her white dress billowed around her and her stride was lithe as a feline.

They met in the middle of the floor, and Jace, having been no stranger to seeing such encounters, knew exactly what they were up to. He smirked, and glanced around for Simon.

That's when he noticed them.

The two figures, their hoods drawn up and their faces shadowed. They were all in black, stalking towards the couple, who by that point were slinking into another room. He watched them uneasily, they were unaware they were being followed. As they got closer Jace saw the strobe lights flashing off something metallic. His blood ran cold.

It was a knife.

_**Clary:**_

Clary's blood was singing with adrenaline, and her blades were cold in her hands. She glanced around the crowd, marking the exits. Alec was directly opposite her, obviously disgusted by the mundanes writhing to the pulsating music. They made eye contact and she nodded. Moving fluidly and in perfect sync, they cornered the storeroom where Isabelle had lured the demon. Pushing open the door, she darted inside in time to see Izzy overpower and contain the demon. Alec quickly lashed him to a cement pole with iron wire, tying it tight enough to cut through skin.

Clary grinned. "_Raphael._"

The seraph blade lit up the room.

_**Simon:**_

Simon did his best to balance the drinks as he slowly made his way through the crowd. Making it to his best friend, he shoved the drink at him. "Why are we in the middle of the floor?" He screamed, "You couldn't have chosen a spot closer to the bar?"

Jace paid him no attention whatsoever, he was staring at a storeroom door.

"Oi! Jace, what are you looking at?" Simon waved the drink in front of his face.

Jace grabbed it and downed it in one long pull. He was yelling frantically all of a sudden. "I saw a knife-"

"What?" Simon couldn't hear him over the music.

"Some guy had a knife!"

"You're sure?"

"Yeah! We need to get help or something!"

Simon was incredulous. "Who? What are we doing?"

"Go. Go get a bouncer or something!"

"Why me?!"

Jace was murderous. "Because I'm going after them." He yelled.

Simon shook his head frantically. "No! You can't get all heroic, don't be an idiot! Jace-"

Jace was gone, already pushing his way through the crowd.

"Jace!" Simon screamed at his retreating back.

He groaned, and darted towards the entrance.

_**Clary:**_

Clary pressed her blade to the demon's neck. "Do you know what I am?" She purred at him.

"_Nephilim." _He hissed, his forked tongue flicking over his extended incisors.

"He's pretty smart, for a demon." She remarked, flicking the sword edge and nicking him. He howled in pain.

"Just kill him Clary." Alec said uneasily, pacing nervously back and forth in front of the door.

_**Jace:**_

Jace reached the door and took a deep breath. His blood was pumping through his veins at lightening speed and he could his muscles quivering with adrenaline. He flung the door open, and was immediately slammed against a wall by a tall, dark haired boy.

_**Clary:**_

The door flung open and Clary spun around in time to see Alec slam the intruder against one of the walls.

"Hey!" The newcomer was tall and blond and he struggled against Alec's hold.

"Let him go, you can't hurt him!" He yelled. He was strong enough to make Alec exert genuine effort to keep him in place.

Clary stared at him, calculating. "You can see us?" She asked finally.

"Yeah, obviously!" He was annoyed, she could tell.

"Clary! Shut up!" Alec hissed angrily.

"Let him go." She was curious, despite herself.

Alec glared at her, then loosened his hold enough for Jace to squirm away from him. He positioned himself slightly behind him, watching his every move like a hawk.

Clary stalked right up to Jace. "You're a mundane."

He was confused, his anger dissipating. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

She crossed her arms. "So you are."

He stared at her like she'd grown a pair of horns. "I'm not a- wait _what_ did you call me?"

"Clary." Isabelle spoke up, indicating the demon who was still struggling. "Deal with the Mundie later."

She shrugged, and turned in time to see the demon explode out of his bonds and launch himself towards her, claws extended.


	2. Chapter 2

Clary moved, almost faster than Jace could see. She flipped herself into the air above the rampaging demon and spun around in midair.

"Alec!" She yelled over her shoulder. "Cover the door!"

Jace shrank back against the wall as Alec stepped in front of him, grumbling all the while. The demon snarled in pain as Clary's boot connected solidly with its forehead. It snapped back, with a now obviously broken spinal cord. Jace's mouth hung open as the neck swung itself back into position, shedding chips of bone.

_I've gone insane, completely and clinically mental._ Jace was frozen, his mind whirling with confusion.

Clary landed and palmed her seraph blade, which was still blazing with light.

"That's all you've got?" It hissed, as the skin on his face began to bubble and peel away. Jace couldn't help himself, he yelped in disgust and fright.

Clary glanced behind her. "Izzy, count to ten."

Isabelle grinned savagely, her white teeth glittering. "One."

Jace was sputtering, his eyes as wide as saucers. "I'm drunk, I'm very, very drunk... Simon brought me absinthe, and now I'm seeing things. The bastard." He shook his head frantically, trying to snap out of it. _There's no way this is actually happening. I whacked my head really hard on the fridge and now I have severe brain damage._

_"_Seven_."_

The demon snarled and threw itself towards them.

"Nine." Isabelle whispered.

Clary laughed, and as she jumped straight upwards, Isabelle's whip lashed out at the exact place where she had been a mere second ago. Jerking the demon towards her, Isabelle pulled the electrum wire tight. He struggled against the weapon wrapped tightly around his throat. Clary flipped herself around to land on the whip, forcing the demon to its knees with her momentum. It fell heavily, the bones in its shoulders breaking and tearing through skin.

It growled, attempting to right itself and lurched sideways, getting far too close for Jace's comfort.

He glanced around for a weapon. There was no way he was going to be in the room with that _thing _and be the only one unarmed. He grabbed a piece of wood from the corner of the room and sighed in momentary relief. Alec glanced back at him and scowled. "Don't even think about it." He growled.

Jace then realized he was in front of the door that led back into the club.

"If you open the door and this demon gets out, I'll kill you both." Alec snapped.

Jace brandished the plank. "Since I'm obviously not leaving, this is purely for self-preservation. I'd rather not be killed by a creature who crawled up from the pits of Hell. Thank you so very much for your understanding." He snapped back, recognizing all the while that it was definitely a bad idea to taunt someone with a blade the length of his entire arm.

Alec glared at him, as Clary thrust her blazing blade into the chest of the demon. Jace flinched as blood splattered his shirt, hot and acidic. It screamed, a horrible sound. He glanced back at the door. W_here was Simon, and why couldn't anyone else see or hear what was going on?_

The demon choked as flames began to lick around the sword embedded between his ribs. Clary shifted her hold on the blade and leaned forward, using her legs for leverage. It slid several inches further into his chest.

Choking on the black blood streaming from his mouth, the demon rasped. "...I know where he is. I can tell you what you want to know."

She ignored him, steadily edging the blade through the ribs, under the sternum and through to the heart.

It fought for breath, obviously in excruciating pain as the angel blade seared him mercilessly. "Valentine is alive, I can take you to him."

Alec drew in a sharp breath, alarmed. "Clary, this can't be a coincidence."

He was very concerned, Clary could even hear a slight tremor in his voice. Isabelle glanced around nervously. "Kill it already, we should get out of here."

Clary twisted her wrist, earning a strangled scream of agony from her prisoner.

"Yeah I know, don't you all." She snarled. "You must be very close."

"Clary, maybe we should take this one in-" Alec began.

She was determined not to let her _parabatai's_ paranoia rule her. "Say hi to Valentine for me." She said calmly, jerking the sword up.

The demon's scream was cut off as her blade pierced his right ventricle . Blood streaming from the stab would, he then disappeared entirely, leaving only a film of thick black liquid on the sword edge.

Jace was aghast. His mouth hung open as he pointed to suddenly bare ground. "Dude..." He breathed, still trying to process the events of the last few moments.

Taking a deep breath, he nodded at Clary. He was determined to regain his composure. "Okay, I have a few questions. That was definitely _not _human_._"

Clary flicked her hair off her shoulders. "That wasn't a question, and it was a demon. You know, creatures of hell. Ugly, very bad tempers. They like to kill things, we like to kill them."

Jace wrinkled his nose. "Are they always that human-like?"

"No, they vary." She replied, amused by his horrified fascination. "They can be quite disgusting really."

"If they like to kill things, I have a kid on my block who kills bugs for fun. You might want to cleanse him or whatever."

Alec rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous, we kill them. No banishing involved." He said scornfully.

"Then how do they disappear like that?" Jace glanced at the floor where the demon's blood had pooled moments before.

"They return to their home dimension when we kill them." Clary replied, ignoring a dark look from Alec.

Jace grinned."Okay, so you're basically Ghostbusters."

Isabelle snorted. "We hunt physical creatures, not ghosts."

Jace was incredulous. "Did you seriously not understand that reference?"

Alec glared at him haughtily. "Just shut up, you're embarrassing yourself."

"No, I embarrassed myself when I screamed like a little girl." Jace answered sweetly, annoyed that he was getting the third degree. "You're demon exterminators then."

Clary laughed, surprising Alec. "Shadowhunters, actually."

Alec huffed. "We really shouldn't be telling him anything."

She ignored him, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Does the word Nephilim mean anything to you?"

"No. Should it? Sounds like something that would be on _Supernatural._"

Cleaning her sword and sheathing it, Clary wiped her hair off her forehead. "If you can see us, yes. Have you ever seen these marks before?"

She motioned to the runes on her hands, arms and neck. Jace could see that they continued beyond his sight line, disappearing into her neckline and at the base of her leather vest.

"I'm pretty sure I'd remember." Jace ran a hand through his hair, wracking his brain for a memory of these Shadowhunters. He was fascinated by their black, curling tattoos and weapons, he'd definitely never seen anything of the sort.

"Mundanes can't see us, or the marks. That's the point." Alec crossed his arms and squared his shoulders.

"I already told you, I'm not a mundane!" Jace snapped, ready to take a swing at the arrogant, dark haired boy.

"What are you then?" Alec demanded.

"I'm a who, actually. Not very politically correct of you. I'm Jace. Attractive and _normal_." He muttered. "Can anyone else see you? Because I'm pretty sure I'm completely nuts by this point."

Clary glanced at Alec. "No. You shouldn't be able to see us, actually."

Jace's brow furrowed. "So I'm not crazy? How does that even work?"

"Glamour." Isabelle drawled, examining her nails.

"Like fashion sense? I'm definitely getting the punk, rebel chic vibe." Jace shrugged. "You're hard to miss, quite frankly."

She smirked. "Cute. It's called a glamour. It's what's _supposed_ to make us invisible to mundanes. But it's apparently not working."

Jace shook his head in dismay. "You're invisible people, you don't know about _Ghostbusters_, and you kill demons. Did I miss anything?"

Clary laughed. "We're part angel."

She got the reaction she wanted, with Jace's eyes widening and his mouth dropping open.

"Angel, makes sense I guess." He was trying in vain to regain his composure. Against his better judgement, he turned what he hoped was a winning smile on her.

She grinned and shrugged, gesturing to her tattoos."These runes make us stronger-"

"Clary, stop it." Alec hissed, interrupting her. "If the glamours aren't working, we need to get out of here before anyone-"

The door then burst open, revealing Simon and several burly men.

"What's happening, where's the knife?" Simon demanded.

Jace whirled around, pointing behind him. "Took you long enough! They're right over-"

He saw the skeptical faces of the bouncers and turned back. They couldn't see them. It was impossible, they were _right there_.

Clary winked at him, put a finger to her lips and grinned. "Absinthe does some crazy things to people, doesn't it?"

Alec, who was still glaring at Jace, drew a finger across his throat. "You say a word and I will shave all your hair off." He whispered murderously.

Realizing Alec was serious, Jace returned his attention to Simon. "I must be imagining things. Simon, you git." He said calmly.

"Well what do you know. It looks like the glamours are working." Isabelle remarked, twisting her whip around her wrist.

Simon's mouth fell open. "What did I do? Are you high?"

"Apparently, that drink you gave me was a bit stronger than I thought." Jace was grasping at smoke, hoping playing dumb would get them out of there as quickly as possible. He was all too aware of the three Shadowhunters standing mere feet behind him.

Simon shook his head. "Unbelievable."

The bouncer closest to the door crossed his arms. "Are you telling me that you didn't actually see a knife?"

Jace shook his head. "No sir, I think I'm seeing things. Green fairies and such."

Simon was furious, the Moulin Rouge reference not lost on him. "What is your problem?"

Jace shrugged."My drink got spiked. Someone wanted me, what can I say." He could hear Clary trying in vain not to laugh, and Alec's snort of derision.

The bouncers exchanged looks. "I think you two should head on home. I'd rather you didn't come back for a while. Just in case the boy-who-cried-knife decides he's not done playing." One of them declared, opening the door wide. "Keep an eye on your drink next time."

Isabelle snickered, and Jace flinched.

"We should go." Simon muttered, watching him warily.

"Yeah, okay."

Glancing over his shoulder, he caught a glimpse of fiery red hair disappearing around a corner.

**_Clary:_**

She glanced back as they snuck out the back door, thinking hard. Alec was beside her, fuming as they walked. She could hear him swearing quietly under his breath in every language he knew.

"Oh relax." She muttered. "It's not like he's going to tell anyone."

He stiffened, and rounded on her. "You're an idiot if you think that he's a harmless little mundane. _He could see us._ Clary, I swear by the Angel that our glamours are working. You saw the other mundies, they were clueless."

Clary couldn't keep the annoyance out of her voice. "Yeah I did, they all think he's nuts. Even if he were to tell they wouldn't believe him."

Alec shook his head, exasperated. "It's not just that, Valentine keeps popping up. I told you something was going on!"

Isabelle leaned back against a brick wall, playing absentmindedly with her pendant. "Not that I wouldn't love to disagree, but he's right."

Clary rolled her eyes. "So what? We talked about this earlier, demons get desperate."

"Not that desperate. It doesn't help that you were telling the mundie practically everything."

Clary bit her lip. "There's something about him that's interesting."

Alec gaped at her. "You've got to be kidding me."

"He could see us. He's no ordinary mundane."

Isabelle raised an eyebrow. "He's probably from some old mundane family that has the Sight. We should just forget about him."

Alec nodded grudgingly. "He'll only cause trouble."

Clary crossed her arms. "Fine. Now how about that Absoth demon?"

**_Jace: _**

Breathing in the cold night air outside the club, Jace glanced around for a cab through the cars whizzing past.

Simon was quiet beside him, and Jace knew he was fuming.

"It's late, we might have a hard time finding a taxi." He remarked, darting a glance at his best friend. "You think my mom's going to be pissed?"

"Yeah, probably."

"Come on Simon, don't be a dick." He drawled. "Tell Dr. Wayland what you're feeling."

Simon's head whipped around.

"Fine. I thought you were going to get yourself killed!" He snapped. "I ran around for fifteen minutes trying to find someone who could save your obnoxious ass from a _knife that didn't even exist."_

They stood and stared at each other for a moment.

Jace cracked first."Feel better?"

"Yes, actually." Simon grumbled, his lips slowly turning up in a smile.

Jace sighed. "Sorry, I really thought there was something there."

Simon glanced at him over his glasses. "Did your drink seriously get spiked?"

"Yeah, I think so. People don't exactly disappear into thin air."

_No, they don't._ He told himself firmly.

Simon laughed. "You actually just _apologized_, you must feel terrible."

"Don't make a big deal out of it, okay?" Jace ran a hand through his hair, embarrassed.

"Oh, I intend to savor this." Simon, craned his neck to look at the sky. "This is a rare moment, indeed."

Jace rolled his eyes. "If you don't shut up, I'm going to get in a cab and leave you all by yourself."

Simon shook his head in exasperation. "Fine, I'll stop."

"Thank you. So did you see any chicks you liked?"

"I'm pretty sure I got hit on when I went for drinks." Simon shuddered.

"Atta boy. Was she hot?"

"No. Hewasn't." Simon grumbled, turning pink. "I pretended I didn't speak English."

Jace cackled, relieved that the danger was past. "I told you some people like bulbous eyes."

"My eyes are _not _bulbous."

"Yes they are."

Simon was struggling to come up with a retort when he spotted a taxi. He flung his arm out and whistled.

"No English, nice evasion technique." Jace remarked as the cab screeched to a stop in front of them.

"Thanks, I don't suppose I could patent it? Could be worth millions."

"Never, why give away a trade secret?" Jace slid into the cab backseat. "Brooklyn, East 24th." He added at the cabbie who was looking at them expectantly through the rearview mirror.

Simon smirked as the taxi pulled into traffic. "Let me guess. Your technique would be to pretend you're seeing invisible people."

Jace's eyes widened and the corners of his mouth turned down in a grimace.

"Low blow, Bro." He complained, secretly pleased at the remark.

"It would work like a _chaaaarrm_." Simon sang, grinning evilly at him.

Jace sank lower into the backseat and groaned. "I'm never taking you anywhere again."

**_Jocelyn:_**

Her heart was pounding, her nerves fluttering like a bird frightened into flight.

Jace still wasn't home. She glanced at the clock, it was two twenty-three. She stared until her eyes began to burn, a cold bead of sweat trickling down her back. The minutes dragged slowly past, and her anxiety mounted.

She tossed fitfully in bed, the city sounds of ambulances and honking cars invading her thoughts, her mind whirling with devastating scenarios. She hadn't been this frightened in years.

_Damn that Bane, he knew I needed to meet with him! _She thought furiously, her hands shaking._Tanzania, why on earth would he run off, he knows the danger we're in. It's been nearly a year, and if Jace sees anything-_

Suddenly she could hear steps in the landing, and she held her breath as she heard the murmur of voices. Although she had long ago ceased to mark her skin, the runes remained. The marks for amplified hearing and night vision were as active as they'd ever been.

She could hear the one voice she was listening for. Jace, trying to sneak up the stairs and into the apartment. There was another voice, slightly higher. _Simon, _the part of her brain that was still thinking rationally informed her.

She took a long, shuddering breath and sighed in relief as she heard his key turn in the lock. Her paranoia sated, she carefully pried her fingers away from the dagger she kept beneath her pillow.

The front door creaked open, and she could hear Jace's cautious footsteps that marked his passage into the dark apartment. He bumped into the living room table and swore quietly. She closed her eyes, feigning sleep as he crept past her open bedroom door. He was unharmed, and they were safe. That was all that mattered for tonight.

_**Jace:**_

Having left Simon in the landing, Jace made his way through the apartment as best he could in the dark. He bumped into a low table and swore quietly. The last thing he wanted was to wake his mother and go through an interrogation about why he was home so late.

Finally making it up the stairs and to his room, he collapsed on the bed. He was still reeling, his body exhausted whilst his mind whirred.

His eyes slid shut as he raked hands through his hair. He wasn't crazy, they were real. He had proof, didn't he?

_Maybe you really did get drugged, that stuff can't happen in real life._

He shook his head angrily. He knew they were real, he knew it in his bones. His spine ached, and his mind flashed to Alec slamming him against the wall. Gingerly, he ran his fingers along his neck, and he could feel a sore spot. He pressed harder and nearly gasped aloud in pain as he found the place where the wall had rammed into his shoulders.

Shadowhunters. Nephilim. The words tumbled around in his mind, he couldn't make any sense of it.

Clary's face was suddenly at the forefront of his thoughts. The way she had leapt into the air, the savage ferocity that she employed without effort to kill the demon. She had seemed so fragile, but Jace knew there was something guarded and incredibly dangerous about her. Alec and Isabelle as well, they weren't quite human.

_"We're part angel. We're demon hunters, Shadowhunters actually."_

He sighed, and rubbed at his eyes. He was suddenly completely drained. _This is probably a weird dream brought on by crap poetry._

He rolled over, his shoulders straining in protest. He could still hear the scream of the demon, and the slashing of Isabelle's glittering whip. He remembered a burning sensation, and his hand flew to his stomach. Now fully awake, he lifted the hem to reveal tiny burns all over his torso. His shirt looked like it had been attacked by moths, littered with holes that fit like a puzzle piece over his injuries. His mouth hung open, he wasn't imagining highly detailed demon hunters. The demon's blood, when Clary stabbed it. _It burned him._

He had proof, _tangible _proof that he wasn't crazy.

He promptly slapped himself in the face.

"I'm really not dreaming!" He sputtered, his cheek stung and grew hot as blood rushed towards it.

He flung himself off the bed and dashed to his desk. Scrambling for implements, he finally found a pencil and located a sketchbook. Turning on the lamp, he bent his head over the paper and began to draw furiously.

**_Clary:_**

Clary tossed her weapons belt on the floor, flipping twin daggers through her fingers. Tonight had been very productive. They'd killed more demons in one night than they had in a week. She needed to replace her seraph blades, they'd crumbled away during the fights, she made a mental note to do so.

They'd also managed to pique Clary's interest, she was intrigued by the blond mundane. _"Can anyone else see you? Because I'm pretty sure I'm completely nuts by this point."_

She tossed her hair over her shoulder and began to relieve herself of her weapons. As the last remnants of adrenaline left her system, she was suddenly aware of a long cut across her forearm. Stele in hand, she padded in socked feet down the hall.

She pounded on the last door, yawning. It flung open, and the now sleepy-eyed Alec was scowling ferociously. "Izzy, if you want me to clean up- oh, hi."

She smiled sheepishly. "That's my mud in the entryway actually."

"Right. I can clean it up, it's not a big deal." Alec shrugged, rubbing at his eyes.

"No, it's fine. I came for an _iratze_."

He nodded, and stepped aside. "How bad is it?"

Clary brushed past him, pulling her sleeve up. "Not arterial. I'm pretty sure it was that demon on forty-seventh." She muttered, tossing Alec her stele. His eyebrows scrunched together and he grunted noncommittally as he meticulously began to carve a healing rune into her bicep.

"How ironic." She remarked, her voice slightly strained.

"What?" Alec asked, his concentration breaking to look at her. He was impressed, the only outward indication of the searing pain of a mark in progress was the slight narrowing of her eyes.

"The rune that heals us is more painful than the wound that required it." She drawled, raising an eyebrow as he stopped drawing the _iratze._

He cleared his throat and hurriedly resumed his task. "You're feeling philosophical. Is there a reason in particular?" He dreaded her answer, already knowing what it was.

"I forgot what it's like when mundanes see us." She remarked casually.

Alec's hand jerked despite him bracing his wrist, and the stele cut deeper than he intended. He grimaced. "By the Angel, you need to stop talking about it as if it was a good thing."

"Maybe it was." She snapped, her arm burning. When she was annoyed, her lilting accent got stronger. "Think, Alec. He wasn't a mundane."

"Yes, he was." Alec grumbled. "You know as well as I do that he's no Seelie, and werewolves smell."

"I know that, which is why I think he's got Shadowhunter blood."

"Don't be stupid Clary." Alec wouldn't look at her, but she could feel his fingers trembling in rage as he resumed her rune.

She glared at him. "Are you quite finished?"

"No. You should just forget about him. The Clave will investigate and this could go very badly."

"I meant the rune. "

He quickly withdrew his hand from her arm. "Right, yeah. Sorry, my hand slipped."

"It's fine." She pulled her sleeve down and stopped in the doorway. "But don't forget that until the second he showed up you were very enthusiastic to get the Clave involved."

"That was different. I was- I_ am_ concerned about Valentine." He sputtered, avoiding her gaze.

"Fair enough. But there's something about him that's making you very nervous. I'd like to know if you have a reason to be."

She turned on her heel and strode out the door, leaving a speechless Alec in her wake.

**_Jace:_**

Jace was startled awake by a shrill noise. Sitting up and peeling a piece of paper off his cheek, he glanced around blearily for the source.

He suddenly clued in. Throwing himself off the desk chair where he'd fallen asleep, he dug around for his hoodie from the night before. Retrieving it and extracting his furiously ringing phone, he slapped it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hello, I'm looking for a Jace Wayland?" The voice on the other end of the phone was deep and the caller sounded young.

"That's me, uh who is this?" He answered, blinking sleep from his eyes.

"I'm a bouncer from the club_ Pandemonium_? I think I saw those invisible people you were talking about last night and-"

"SIMON, I am _not_ amused!" Jace yelled into the phone. He could hear his best friend cackling on the other end.

"Morning, Sunshine." Simon chirped, speaking louder than usual over the noise of his video game. "You up for a cup of liquid tar?"

Jace sighed. "Fine, you cretin. You're paying, that's the cost of waking me up two days in a row."

"Sounds good, you're not hungover are you?"

"No, lucky for you." Jace grumbled, attempting to smooth his hair down. He then realized his hands and face were covered in charcoal and he groaned.

"Meet you at Java's in a half hour?" Simon yawned. "I gotta go, almost out of minutes."

"Yep. Later." Jace hung up the phone and tossed it on the bed.

**_Clary: _**

Her eyes flew open, and she drew in a shaking breath. It was unlike her to have nightmares, she was covered in a fine sheen of sweat. Wiping her brow and vaulting out of bed, she threw her curtains open.

It was dawn, and she was exhausted. Her whole body ached and she relished the pain, it served as a reminder of all her hard work the previous night.

Cracking her neck, she drew her shirt over her head and made for the bathroom. As she stood in the shower and let the scalding water pour over her, she allowed her mind to drift to her dream. Blond hair, and hands dripping with blood, covered in runes that pulsed with a demonic frequency.

There was something very wrong with the man she saw, he was wrong, corrupt. He had whispered her name and reached out to her, and to her horror she had taken his hand without question. She shivered, and turned the water to a hotter setting. The more she struggled to remember the more the details began to escape her, as is the way with dreams.

She finally stepped out of the shower and wiped the steam away from the mirror. Looking into her own green eyes, she recalled tawny irises. She couldn't shake the feeling that Jace knew more than he was telling them. Making a spit-second decision, she darted into her room and gathered her gear into a pile on her bed. It was past time she got to the bottom of this, and she wasn't going to let Alec and his paranoia stop her.

She cracked her door open, and scanned the hall. It was all clear, she broke into a silent run, heading for her favorite escape route. The window in the deserted library was already cracked, and she eased it open before sliding through it. Once on the roof, she grinned and shook her hair out of her eyes. There was nothing Clary liked better than hunting, no matter what kind of prey she was after.

**_Jace: _**

He yawned as he towel-dried his hair, which immediately sprang into cowlicks. Taking a comb, he furiously attacked it, hoping to tame it before it dried. Pulling on a shirt, he ambled over to his desk where he gazed at his drawings from scant hours before he was rudely awakened.

He was impressed, the lines were decent and the expressions on the three young Shadowhunter's faces were pretty accurate if he did say so himself.

The lines of their marks were in charcoal, swirling around their collarbones and twining down their arms. They were stark and black compared to the delicate lines of their features. He made a mental note to add some colour, a cerulean blue, jade and burnt sienna for the striking details he didn't want to forget. Scratching his stomach, he winced as he grazed the burn marks, and glanced down. They were healing already, and he was slightly saddened that the only proof of his encounter would soon fade and disappear.

Glancing at his clock, he grabbed his hoodie and slipped out his bedroom door. He tiptoed down the stairs and stopped short as he saw his mother at the kitchen table, effectively cutting off any chance of a stealthy exit. He sighed, there was no way he was avoiding this confrontation.

"Morning. Sleep well?" He was trying for nonchalance as he eased towards the door.

She frowned, eyeing him over the top of her teacup. "I would have slept better had you been home by midnight."

"I'm sorry, there was traffic!" He protested, relying on Simon's favorite evasion tactic.

Jocelyn raised an eyebrow. "At two in the morning? Really Jace, if you had called me I wouldn't have been half as worried."

He avoided her gaze, and played with the strings on his hoodie. "I will next time, I promise."

"That's not all we need to talk about. I was trying to have a serious conversation with you yesterday and you not only interrupted me, but you left in the middle of it." She was hurt, the tiniest waver in her voice gave her away.

Jace was beginning to get annoyed, the accumulation of the previous day's events coupled with his mother giving him a lecture was rapidly turning his easygoing nature into a ticking time bomb of pent-up emotion.

"Well then why don't you tell me about whatever it is?"

She stared at him for a moment, then sighed. "Not when you're angry with me, it really won't help what I'm going to tell you."

He glared at her. "Well it's obviously not very important. We can talk later." He turned and started to lace up his shoes.

"Jace, this is _very_ important to me, and you're old enough now that-"

"You know what?" He interrupted, letting the tiniest bit of venom creep into his voice. Jocelyn was shocked, her eyes widened.

"Telling me you've been keeping _important _secrets from me my whole life isn't a very good way to start." He snapped, he couldn't help himself.

Jace was tired of her coddling and overprotective parenting.

He shrugged. "I'm going out, I'll call you before I come home."

He felt a flash of guilt at her wounded expression. But at this point he was in too deep, it would do no good to apologize while he was still angry.

Jocelyn watched him move towards the door, her eyes shining. "Jace-"

She was cut off by the door slamming shut. She brought her fists down on the counter in frustration.

Time was running out.

**_Clary: _**

Clary made her way unnoticed through the streets of Manhattan and taking a moment, she leaned against a brick wall and surveyed Times Square. She enjoyed the bustle of people making their way to work, to meet friends, to eat at the restaurants that densely packed the area with smells and tempting displays. She glanced at the huge billboards that wrapped around the buildings that flashed and assaulted the eyes with bright colors and flashes. She chuckled at the packs of tourists clustered together around maps, a beacon for those trying to scam a bit of money off the ignorant foreigners.

That's when she saw it.

It was easy for Clary to tell if someone had been possessed, after this many years of hunting demons and studying the telltale signs of a stolen body. The girl was young and pretty, but there was something off about her, something inhumane. She was taking lurching, uneven steps and it was obvious that the creature within was not used to having so few limbs.

Clary could feel her Sensor vibrating in her pocket, confirming her suspicions. As she watched, the girl skulked down a back alley. A savage grin creeping onto her face, Clary drew a runed dagger and darted after her. She was relieved that her glamours were working, as the hundreds of mundanes she maneuvered between looked straight through her.

She doubted a girl covered in tattoos brandishing a foot-long dagger would go over well, especially with all the mundane police around the square. Adrenaline began to sing through her veins once again and she doubled her speed.

Tracking down Jace could wait, she had something to take care of.

**_Jocelyn:_**

With shaking fingers, Jocelyn sat down heavily in her chair. The apartment walls were still reverberating with the force of the door slamming shut. She knew it was her fault that Jace had stormed out, and it was painfully obvious that she had failed to coerce him into listening to what she had to say.

All she needed was an excuse to get him to Magnus Bane, but since the blasted warlock had run off to Tanzania, she was becoming more tightly wound by the second.

Taking her phone from her pocket, she dialed a number that she'd had memorized for years.

It rang twice before Luke picked up. "Jocelyn, what a surprise." He rumbled, his cheery tone lessening the knot in her chest slightly.

"I tried again, Jace doesn't want to listen to me." She whispered, clutching her phone. "I knew that it was going to be difficult, but he won't even give me a moment."

Luke sighed and she knew him well enough to know that he was thinking carefully about what to say next. "Well you haven't been very honest with him." He replied cautiously.

"I know." She groaned, sinking farther into her chair. "He doesn't understand what kind of danger we're in."

"Yes, well you've never impressed any of that danger on him."

"He wasn't ready!" She sputtered. "Lucian, I don't know how much longer I can hide an _entire world_. The memory spell is bound to slip."

"Magnus is still not answering your calls?"

"No! I don't know if I should start calling around Downworld, see if Ragnor Fell could-"

"Jocelyn." Luke was stern, his neutral tone gone as he continued. "You've spent seventeen years avoiding the Downworld and the Clave. Don't ruin that anonymity."

"Yes, you're right. Of course you're right." Jocelyn ran a hand through her hair and began to pace through the tiny living room.

"News travels fast. The second anyone recognizes you, _they'll_ come."

She shook her head. "I won't, I know better than that. It's just eating away at me. By the Angel, I never used to be this uptight."

Luke chuckled, and hearing the familiar sound comforted her. "No, you most certainly weren't. I remember a time, where there was that Seelie that you tried to bribe to slip Pangborn-"

She burst into laughter. "I thought he was going to punch me, would have served me right. Meliorn always was fiery for a Seelie."

"He is, most definitely. I heard a story some years ago that he actually fled England at the end of the nineteenth century because some Herondale offended him very badly."

"It wouldn't surprise me, he's terribly vain. That wouldn't be the Herondale who wrote that terrible poetry about demon pox, would it?"

"I think so, sounds familiar." Luke was pleased to hear her laughing, he hated to see her so anxious.

Their laughter quieted slightly.

"Do you think, well I suppose it's too late to change, did I make the right choice in keeping everything from Jace?"

She asked hesitantly, hating the fact that her voice wavered.

He paused, she could tell he was weighing his answer carefully. "Yes, I think you did. Things were complicated, far too much for a kid to handle. He wouldn't be able to help himself, he's too curious."

Jocelyn smiled weakly. "He would have joined the Clave by now, I imagine. He's very adventurous."

Luke hummed his agreement. "He's a lot like his father, isn't he?"

Jocelyn nodded, forgetting she was on the phone. "Yes, he is. Could you speak to him, maybe try and calm him down?"

Luke sighed. "I can try, but ultimately it's going to have be you he hears it from."

Jocelyn's hands were shaking as she kneaded her shoulder. "You don't think I could just take him to Magnus and let him be normal for at least another year?"

Luke's light tone suddenly darkened, and his voice lowered into a whisper. "Stop trying to talk your way out of this.Jocelyn_, Jace isn't Jonathan_. He needs to know before something happens."

"You're right, of course you're right." She nodded, steeling herself for the evening to come. "I was tearing my hair out when he left angry."

He smiled and she could hear it over the connection. "It'll be alright, just don't forget that he might not believe you."

"Right, that's going to be the hardest part. He doesn't believe in anything out of the ordinary."

**_Jace: _**

Walking along the street to the cafe, his hood up and his head down against the wind, Jace was running the previous night's adventure over in his head. He was elated that he hadn't imagined the whole thing, and that put a little bounce in his step.

He reached the door to the cafe and flung the door open. As he expected, Simon was sitting in the farthest corner, concentrating furiously on a crossword puzzle he'd found in the _Times._

Jace flopped down in the chair opposite him and groaned. "Barkeep, I will take my poison now."

Simon glanced up at him over his glasses. "I just want to finish this word, can't figure it out."

"You said you were paying for coffee, I'm calling your bluff."

Simon sighed. "Alright, fine. The usual?"

Jace nodded. "Can I try and finish it?"

Simon shrugged, already heading towards the bar. "Yeah, sure. I couldn't get it, so don't get too cocky." He called over his shoulder, flashing Jace a cheeky grin.

Jace made a face at his retreating back, pulled out his phone and began to type furiously into the search engine.

Finding the word he was looking for, he shoved it back in his pocket and picked up the newsprint just in time for Simon to come back with the drinks.

"It's frugal, and a word has never better described me in this very moment." He yawned, accepting the steaming cup of coffee from Simon.

Simon's eyes widened, and he snatched up the newspaper, he stared at it for a good minute before setting it down. "You cheated, didn't you?"

Jace grinned, and pressed a hand to his forehead dramatically. "My best friend believes that I cheated outrageously, oh sweet baby Jesus, what do I do to restore his faith in me?"

Simon laughed. "I'm Jewish, you imbecile. I saw you on your phone."

"Shoot. Those bulbous eyes _do_ come in handy."

Simon sighed, he'd given up trying to persuade Jace differently. "How're you feeling?"

Jace glanced up through his eyelashes. "No side effects apparently. I'm fine, a bit annoyed though."

Simon waited patiently for him to continue.

He sighed, and put his drink down."Mum keeps trying to corner me to talk about something."

Simon raised an eyebrow. "What about? Was that what she wanted yesterday?"

"Yeah, and I have no clue. She keeps being all mysterious and telling me she's been keeping something important from me. I don't know what to believe now."

"Rough."

"Yeah, I was a dick to her before I left though." He felt guilty, it was gnawing away at him. He knew that his mother was doing her best, and what she had kept from him was probably for his own good.

"Think it might be about your dad?" Simon asked hesitantly, aware that Jace was deep in thought.

"Yeah. I think so." Jace was suddenly morose, he didn't know much about his father and he had always harbored a sense of loss, a lack of memories that he wished desperately he could recall. He chewed on his lip. "Wanna bet he was a master assassin or something?"

Simon grinned. "Well all that stealth and weapons mastery obviously wasn't genetic."

"Touché, my skeptical friend, touché." Jace muttered, now slightly optimistic. "It would be awesome if he hunted demons and stuff."

"Let's not get carried away. So I have this idea for a new band name, you'll like this one-"

"_Blubbering Eskimos_ is a terrible band name." Jace said immediately. "_Ferreting Marmots_ is better."

"Not bad. I was thinking _Skeptical Philosophers_."

"Nah. How about _Left-Handed Conservatives_?"

**_Clary:_**

Having chased the demon from Times Square to the Brooklyn Bridge, Clary was thoroughly annoyed. Dispatching the creature with her dagger was all too satisfying and she watched it writhe on the pavement, feeling triumphant.

She watched it disappear to its home dimension, her expression far away. She wiped her blade thoroughly on her jacket and sheathed it. It was mid-afternoon and she still hadn't found Jace. Even while pursuing the demon, she'd been on the lookout for tawny eyes and blond hair. She was certain that he wouldn't be found in downtown Manhattan, he had almost no accent. It was now time to widen her search.

She vaulted onto the back of a truck heading towards Brooklyn and took a moment to rest as the vehicle made its way over the bridge and to the city beyond.

She hopped off the truck bed and jogged down the first street she came across. It was littered with cafes and vintage shops. Ignoring the mundanes she passed, Clary kept looking. She grid-searched the entire area and then moved on. Exasperated with her lack of results, she stopped in front of a coffee shop, and absentmindedly glanced inside. Then she did a double take, he was _right there_. After nearly a day of searching, he was mere feet from her, she'd found the sharp-eyed needle in the haystack.

Smirking gently, she pushed the door open and stepped inside. Finally, she was going to get some answers.

**_Jace:_**

Jace shook his head. "No one in their right mind would name a band _Monopolizing Gamers_."

Simon sniffed, slightly offended. "Alright, come up with something better then."

Thinking hard, Jace grinned, "How about _Nearsighted Peeping Toms_?"

"I like _Pensive Meathead _better. Or maybe _Humble Narcissists_."

"I like _Enthused Naysayers_, or _Mystical Realists._"

Simon was about to blurt out a comeback when he burst out laughing. "I'm actually warming up to most of these. Have you got a piece of paper? I'll throw them past the guys."

Jace shook his head. "Nope, I'll go get one from the barista."

"I bet you will. Try and get me one without her number on it, would you?" Simon grumbled, still amused.

Jace grinned, turned to stand up and found himself face to face with Clary.

"Hope I'm not interrupting." She murmured, glancing sideways at Simon. Jace's mouth hung open, he was flabbergasted that she had found him.

"Oh and for the record, you're staring at mid air according to everyone in this cafe." She remarked, inclining her head towards the rest of the shop.

Some of the mundanes were glancing curiously in Jace's direction. She didn't blame them, he looked remarkably like a goldfish with his mouth hanging open. _There is no way she's actually here._

He gulped and closed his mouth. He then straightened his spine and tried to look straight through her.

"I'll be in the back alley, we need to talk." She murmured in his ear before turning on her heel and slipping out the door.

"Jace?" Simon was looking at him oddly, confused by his sudden pause. Jace tried to smile at him in a way that he hoped was reassuring.

"I'll be right back. Use a napkin to write on until I get back." He maneuvered his way through the tables and chairs and out the door.

_**Jocelyn:**_

Jocelyn hummed softly as she swirled her paintbrush in cerulean acrylic paint. Putting the bristles to canvas, she delicately patted the colour into place. Twisting her hair up with a pencil, she wiped her hands on her apron and strode to kitchen to pour herself more tea. Sighing, she took a sip and stiffened as there was a knock at the door.

Creeping silently to the peephole, she jumped as the knock sounded again, and again. She stood there for a moment, not bearing to breathe as silence fell, and there was no sound from outside the door.

Finally daring to breathe, she was suddenly knocked backwards from the door flying inwards by the blow of a large, black-booted foot.

Crashing backwards into the floor, she was winded, and her vision began to swim with dark spots. She could feel a trickle of warm liquid down her neck and knew immediately that it was blood. The iron tang of it filled the air as she yanked the pencil from her hair. She scrambled backwards as her assailant stalked towards her, her back hit the radiator and she was trapped.

A huge hand closed around her neck and she choked and struggled as she was lifted off the ground.

"Hello Jocie, it's been a long time, hasn't it?"

The deep, menacing voice of someone she knew all too well reverberated through her body through his fist. Pangborn, as he preferred to be called, let her drop to the floor. Coughing and rubbing her neck, she adjusted her position on her sharp pencil, poised to strike as he bent down to her. His putrid breath almost made her gag as he got far too close for her comfort.

"How did you find me?" She whispered, her blood ice cold with sheer terror. _Jace, what about Jace? Was he safe?_

"Where's the Cup, Jocie? Valentine's really keen on getting it back." He growled. She glared at him with as much venom as she could muster.

"You will _never _find it." She rasped, ramming the pencil into his shoulder socket.

He screamed and she hurtled over his outstretched arms, spinning in a wild kick that connected solidly with his nose. He slumped to the ground and she turned in time to see another figure charging towards her. She dashed into the kitchen and slammed the door shut. Searching wildly for a weapon, she palmed the handle of a frying pan as the door splintered and fell away under the assault of the second intruder.

"Blackthorne." She hissed, as his hulking bulk squeezed through the remains of the doorway.

He grinned stupidly, brandishing a short sword. "I don't wanta hurt ya, Jocie. We were friends once, all you gotta do is give us the Cup and come along and Valentine'll be nice to ya."

"_Over my dead body_." She growled, dropping into a defensive stance.

She ducked under his swing and the pan rammed into his diaphragm, she then threw a right hook at his face and an elbow to his kidneys. He crumpled and she threw herself up the stairs to her room. Dashing into the bathroom, and wiping the blood off her face, she hastily hit speed dial. She had to warn Jace, he couldn't come home. _He needed to stay away._

The phone rang once, twice, three times.

**_Jace:_**

Clary was waiting in the back alley, just as she'd promised. He eyed her, all black leather and fire, and he realized he was nervous. He ran a hand through his hair, and tried to keep his voice steady.

"Alright, what do you want? Am I having a _Matrix_ moment? The blue and red pills about to pop out anytime now?"

She shook her head, and he could see a tiny smile on her lips. "I don't understand half the things that come out of your mouth. But no, I came to ask you some questions."

"I really don't know anything. I don't get why you had to track me down."

"Yes, I remember you saying that. What doesn't make sense to me is that you can see me, and yet had no idea until last night what I am."

"You and me both." He muttered.

She ignored him. "What's your last name?"

Jace was confused. "Wayland. Why does it even matter-"

"No it's not."

Flabbergasted, Jace stared at her. "What? I don't understand what's not, well what it is?"

"Your last name can't be Wayland." She said warily. "They're extinct."

Jace gestured at himself, his tone exasperated. "Well clearly they aren't."

"Not extinct in the literal sense." She was pacing, her eyes suddenly alight. " The Waylands were disgraced after a scandal in 1878 that almost led to the destruction of all Shadowhunters, and they left the Clave in shame. That was a century and a half ago, it's unlikely anyone would recognize the name as Nephilim."

She was nodding, a grin spreading over her face. "This all makes sense now, why you can see us! You're right, you most certainly are _not_ a mundane."

He smiled, despite himself. "Okay, so you're telling me that my father probably _was_ a demon hunter? Simon's gonna _love_ that."

She shrugged. "It's entirely possible. What do you know about your family?"

Jace thought for a moment, his mind whirling. "Nothing actually."

Clary frowned, and crossed her arms. "There's a lot you obviously don't know about. Your mother?"

Jace sighed, and chewed on his lip. It was all starting to make sense, and it all began to fit together like puzzle pieces as he thought.

"My mom randomly decided that yesterday was a good time to tell me something important, the same day I start seeing people who- to the majority of the population- are invisible. Definitely out of the ordinary."

Clary nodded, her cheeks flushed with excitement. "Jace, you need to find out what she has to say."

He whirled around, and threw his hands up in the air. "But why is all of this happening _now_? I don't get what's changed. If I'm a Shadowhunter then I should have figured all this out ages ago."

She was pacing now, tracing steps in a hypnotic pattern over the leaves scattered on the ground. "I don't know, that's the one thing I can't seem to figure out."

Jace's phone rang.

_**Jocelyn:**_

Keeping her phone firmly plastered to her ear, Jocelyn dragged the vanity in front of the door. She was praying fervently that it would hold long enough for her to get out the tiny window. Jace's phone continued to ring and she clicked off. Searching desperately through her contacts, she finally found Simon. She was breathing hard as she hit send. The phone began to ring, and she dreaded the cold, electric sound.

**_Simon:_**

Simon was methodically inscribing his potential band names on a recycled fiber napkin when his phone rang. Glancing at it, he saw the caller was Jocelyn.

Grimacing, he hit "decline".

He was in no position to lie for Jace and he didn't want to be caught in the middle of their family dispute, regardless of how much he cared for them. Glancing around the cafe, he was a tad uneasy not knowing where Jace had run off to. He shrugged and returned to the napkin, taking another gulp of coffee. "_Cynical Romantics", that's a good one._

**_Jocelyn:_**

The phone continued to ring and Jocelyn swore furiously as the voice mail clicked on. She could hear the two men stirring downstairs and she knew time was running out. Suddenly finding herself in an icy calm, she dialed Jace's number again.

**_Jace:_**

He jumped and dug the phone out of his pocket. Glancing at the call display, he saw it was his mother. Groaning inwardly, he ignored the call and put his phone away. He really wasn't ready for a guilt trip, regardless of the new information coming to light.

Clary was watching him silently, still pacing. "You should have answered that."

He rolled his eyes, annoyed that she was sticking her nose into his business. "We had a fight earlier and I really don't want to-"

She darted forward and grabbed his phone out of his pocket. "Stop being a child." She hissed, her eyes suddenly huge. He took a step back, intimidated by the tiny Shadowhunter. "You need to listen to her. There must have been a reason that you've been kept in the dark."

He shrugged. "I'll talk to her when I get home."

She was steadily growing more and more annoyed as he evaded her gaze.

The phone rang again. Clary shoved it at Jace, her finger poised to answer it. "Talk to her, or I will." She threatened quietly, and he quickly took the phone.

Hitting the answer button, he shoved it to his ear. "Hey, Mom. I'm on my way home-"

"No, Jace you_ can't come home!_" Jocelyn almost burst into tears, she was so relieved. Darting a glance at the door, which was starting to splinter, she gasped into the phone. "You need to go_ straight _to Luke's house_-_" The door began to buckle, and she let out a yelp of terror.

"Mom! What's going on?!" Jace was shocked, he could hear a commotion and his mother's panicked voice. Clary had gone very still, she was listening in, and her brow was furrowed in concern.

"_-_go to Luke's house and tell him that Valentine's found me_-_" There was a commotion in the background and Jace was anxiously straining to hear her voice.

"Who? Mom, what's going on? Are you okay-"

"I love you, Jace, you'll be safe with Luke_-"_

_"Mom!"_

_"_Whatever you do, _don't come home_, they'll find you_-"_

She was suddenly cut off and the line went dead.


End file.
